Will Translation for France

Legs, donation and the forms of disposition

French succession law has its own vocabulary for dispositions that concern a particular asset or a proportion of the estate. A bequest of a specific asset (legs particulier), appointment on a universal or a particular basis, and gifts between spouses (donation entre époux) are the foremost of these institutions. The dispositions in a Turkish will are not equated with the French concepts; the translator carries the testator’s intention across in the form the source gives it and, where needed, adds an explanatory note in brackets. Labelling a disposition with the wrong French category can change its scope.

The proportions of the shares, the names of the beneficiaries and the descriptions of immovable property are the most sensitive data in the document, and they are guarded like numerical identifiers; once a figure in a share or the spelling of a name changes, it becomes arguable who the intention was directed towards and over what. The conjunctions and the sequence of conditional wording are carried across exactly, because these are what show the circumstance on which a disposition depends. Since the notaire will transfer this information into the deed he draws up, the completeness of the translation is what the procedure rests on.

Applicable law and immovable property

In an estate connected with France, the law that applies is most often determined by criteria such as the deceased’s habitual residence and the location of the assets; where immovable property is concerned, the law of the place in which it lies may carry separate weight. That assessment is the work of the notaire and the lawyer; the translator carries the intention expressed in the will across as it stands and adds no reading of the applicable law. The document then offers firm ground for the legal assessment.

French law recognises several forms of will: the one drawn up before a notary (authentique), the handwritten one (olographe) and the sealed or secret will (mystique). The form of the Turkish will is stated plainly in the translation; the document is not equated with a French form but carried across with its own identity. Where the will contains a disposition over immovable property, the block and parcel details and the address are preserved word for word, because the notaire will transfer them into the deed he draws up.

The reserved share (réserve héréditaire) is a powerful institution in French succession law, and weighing the testator’s intention against that share is again the notaire’s work, not the translator’s. The translator carries the intention across as it stands and adds no view on whether it conflicts with the reserved share. Conditions, charges and appointments in the will are rendered with the same detail in which they were written; the conjunctions and the sequence of conditional wording are kept exactly as they are, because they show the circumstance on which a disposition depends.

The notaire and the acte de notoriété

In France it is usually the notary who handles the succession; the document setting out the heirs and their shares (acte de notoriété) is drawn up by the notary, and there is no separate probate court procedure. Where a Turkish will is to serve as the basis of that procedure, the notaire reads the intention and the beneficiaries from the translation. Names, descriptions of immovable property and shares are therefore preserved word for word; the notary will transfer this information into the deed he draws up.

Réserve héréditaire and the form of the will

The reserved share (réserve héréditaire) is a powerful institution in French succession law; weighing the testator’s intention against that share is the notaire’s work, not the translator’s. The translator carries the intention across as it stands and adds no view on whether it conflicts with the reserved share. The form of the will is stated as well: a will drawn up before a notary (testament authentique) and a handwritten will (testament olographe) take different forms, and the document is carried across in its own form rather than equated with a French one.

The FCDDV and the central register

Wills in France are entered in a central register (Fichier central des dispositions de dernières volontés, FCDDV), which the notaire searches when the succession opens. A Turkish will is not part of that system, but for the notaire to assess the file as a whole, the translation is expected to be complete and to be submitted together with the record of the opening of the will.

Listed translators and the order of certification

A translation submitted to an official body in France has to be produced by a sworn translator (traducteur assermenté) on the list held by a court of appeal; in a translation produced in Türkiye, the sworn translator signs it, the notary notarises it and an apostille is added. As a will originates from a notary or a court, the apostille is obtained from the judicial justice commission.

• Add no reading of the reserved share to the testator’s intention.
• Include the record of the opening of the will in the file.
• Confirm with the notaire whether to go through a listed assermenté or the Türkiye chain.

France is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention; check the current position on the official HCCH list. You can run your file through our single office in Ankara Kızılay, see the cost on our pricing page and request a quotation by uploading your document. This page is for general information and is no substitute for legal advice; for the succession itself, consult your notaire and your lawyer.